124 THE CHALLENGE OF THE N.W. FRONTIER
such destruction of normal home life leads to
banditry, as we have recently seen, on a large scale,
in China.
He then goes on to show that the aeroplane's very
efficiency may lead on to a new danger. In earlier
days, the Administrator would do everything in his
power to win over the tribes by peaceful means,
and would only call in the military as a last resort.
Now, however, he can use the air-bombing method
immediately. The speed of bombing makes him
ready to lay aside the slow method of persuasion.
Force thus becomes too easy and convenient, and
this intensifies the "militarist" attitude. An area that
is tranquil, merely through fear of bombs, does not
necessarily mean good administration.
In the last place, Captain Mumford points out
that air-bombing of villages strikes hardest at the
poor—the weak, the aged, the sick—who stay at
home. It hits the innocent and spares the guilty. It
is quite definitely an attack on what may be called
the "civil population" in order to make the
"military" surrender.
"This is a policy," he says, "suicidal for Europe
and morally indefensible against subject races.
Undeveloped areas must be developed, not bombed.
The initial cost of building roads is not out of
proportion to the cost of bombing aeroplanes. The
subsequent value of roads will be considerable.
Mountain areas, with their relatively generous supply
of water (if conserved) and their variations in climate,
can be of value for agriculture, health, and pleasure.